NAEP Data User Guide
May 2008
About NAEP
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is an ongoing assessment of what the nation’s students know and can do in various academic subjects. Also called the Nation’s Report Card, NAEP provides estimates of student performance in several subjects at the national, state, and large-urban-district levels by testing a scientifically selected representative sample of students from each jurisdiction. NAEP results are calculated to permit comparisons over the course of several years of student performance among states and certain urban districts.
How to gather NAEP performance data
The National Center for Education Statistics offers two handy tools for gathering assessment data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP):
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The simpler tool, State Comparisons, allows users to compare all 50 states’ test results with just a few clicks. Select the grade, subject, year(s), display options, and student group to compare, and results pop-up in a table. Results can be sorted by several variables, with statistically significant differences noted as applicable.
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The more robust tool, NAEP Data Explorer, is a dynamic database that lets users create custom queries to produce statistical tables and graphics. The NAEP Data Explorer has three different versions: main NAEP, long-term trend NAEP, and the High School Transcript Study. A tutorial helps users get oriented to all of the features available with the NAEP Data Explorer.
Points to keep in mind
Because of NAEP’s sophisticated test design, the National Center for Education Statistics and the California Department of Education urge caution when interpreting NAEP results. Researchers, parents, reporters, state policymakers, and other parties interested in analyzing, interpreting, and reporting NAEP data should keep the following “rules” in mind:
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NAEP scores should not be compared across test subjects or across test grades, but they can be compared over time or among states.
- Average scale scores represent how students performed on a test. Achievement-level results indicate how that performance measured up against set expectations for achievement.
- NAEP assesses student performance based on the knowledge and skills included in the NAEP frameworks, which is not necessarily aligned with what is taught in California’s classrooms.
- NAEP results are estimates based on a representative sample of students.
- California’s student demographics have an effect on the state’s overall performance on NAEP. For greater accuracy, it is important to compare subgroup results with those of similar students in other states and the nation.
- Observed differences among years, subgroups, or states are not always statistically significant. NAEP data clearly indicate which results are significant and which are not.
- NAEP and the CSTs are not designed to be comparable tests. They are apples and oranges, often assessing different content and skills using different test formats.
- NAEP and the CSTs use different methods to determine cut scores for proficiency, etc.
- Achievement levels for the two tests are defined differently, as are the cut points required to reach them.
For more information, please also see the following:
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